The 12 deals of Christmas: Cheap laptops, mobiles and more

You may not want a lot for Christmas, but here at ITProPortal, we're firm believers that there is always one more thing you need. That's why we've put together a handy list of what we consider the twelve deals of Christmas (we used to be good at puns, once-a-pun a time).

From Tablets to TVs, mobile phones to mobile gaming, there's a gadget to suit everyone, and we combed the sticky tendrils of the web to find them. Whether you're buying for someone else, or writing a last-minute letter to Santa himself, these deals will ensure the only thing stretched this Christmas will be the tug of war with your bulging Christmas cracker. Not your bank balance.

So if you do happen to have a particularly generous true love, tell them that on the first day of Christmas they can send you....

Deal 1: An iPad Mini

Whilst Apples may grow on trees, Apple iPads most certainly don't. Still, that's not stopping Currys from slashing their prices for the coveted slabs. With discounts of up to £260, the electronics retailer is the best place to pick up a new iPad this Christmas (until Apple decides to start handing them out on street corners, that is).

The iPad Mini is one of the best deals we found. Not only is the device slimmed down, but the price is too with its £429 RRP slashed to just £279. Running iOS 6 and an Apple A6X Processor, the tiny tablet comes in black with built in Wi-Fi and a 5-megapixel iSight camera. Even better, it fits snugly in the palm of your hand since it's half the weight of an ordinary iPad at just 7.2mm thick. Basically, it's the iPad that will make all your other tablets guiltily check their waistbands this year and forgo the Christmas turkey.

Deal 2: A Sony Fit 15 SVF1521P2EB laptop

Sure, this laptop doesn't have the most pronounceable name. We can only assume that a developer somewhere spent hours grappling with the task of christening this 15.6in touchscreen powerhouse, before randomly bashing their forehead against the keyboard and declaring the motley collection of digits that popped up on their screen as "good enough" for them to clock off early.

Name aside, the Sony Fit really is a decent laptop. Incorporating an Intel Core processor, 4GB of RAM and a Windows 8 operating system, it's a steal at just £499.99. With £100 knocked off its original price at PC World, you can pack its 500GB hard drive with all the festive tracks your heart desires from iTunes - 125,000 of them to be precise. Then, using the intuitive multi-touch screen, you can pinch, tap and swipe your way through Windows 8 making the most of the operating systems Live Tile icons.

Other great features include NFC connectivity for instant file transfer between compatible devices, simulated surround sound speakers, a built-in Exmor R HD webcam and a nifty anti-glare screen.

Deal 3: Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini

If chocolate coins and oranges are becoming rather predictable stocking fillers, a mobile phone is a good alternative for the generous gift-giver. If your budget is limited, the Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini from 2012 provides a great option as the littler brother of its Galaxy S3 doppleganger.

With an RRP of £314.99 on the handset only, Carphone Warehouse is offering a talkmobile tariff as its cheapest contract. Paying £17.50 a month will net you 100 minutes, 3,500 UK texts, 100MB of data, plus the handset is thrown in for free. The real icing on the cake, however, comes in the form of a Samsung Galaxy Tab tablet "gifted" by Carphone Warehouse upon your purchase, and requiring nothing in return.

That works out as paying £420 over 24 months, which considering that buying the Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini and Samsung Galaxy Tab outright would set you back £514.98, is a pretty considerable saving. You're basically getting the tablet and all your texts, calls and data for free. Not too shabby, if you ask us.

Deal 4: The world's cheapest tablet

This is a bit of a stretch, since it's not really a deal as such, but Tesco's Hudl has officially been ousted off of its lofty perch as the cheapest option for tablet connoisseurs. The Aakash UbiSlate 7Ci can be yours for the meagre sum of £30, which seriously undercuts other budget models currently on the market. Initially engineered for an Indian government education scheme, the Ubislate 7Ci comes with a 7in touch screen display with a capacitive resolution of 800 x 480 pixels, 4GB of storage space and a microSD slot that allows expansion up to 32GB.

It also has a Cortex A8 processor clocked at 1GHz and 512MB of RAM with the tablet running on Google Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich and Wi-Fi connectivity coming as part of the package.

Deal 5: Kindle Fire HDX 7

If you want something that packs a little more punch, the extra X thrown into the title of this Kindle eReader isn't just a cheeky mistletoe kiss, but the sign of some seriously beefed-up specs. The Kindle Fire HDX 7 packs the fastest processor on a 7in tablet, providing a powerful 2.2GHz quad-core processor and 2GB of RAM for rapid multi-tasking. Amazon has also kindly introduced the "Mayday button" which provides free assistance 24/7 from a Kindle expert. In addition, the eReader has a boosted 11 hour battery life and an option for the latest 4G LTE technology for super speedy mobile broadband.

How much will this latest sibling in the Kindle family cost you? Well, you can hold on to your arm and your leg because it's just £169, reduced from £199.99.

With a print resolution of 5760 x 1440 dpi and a print speed of 12ipm, the Expression Premium 610 is perfect for the home office if you need to print off crisp looking documents or top-notch photo prints. With a scanner on top, it really is an all-in-one printer that at £89.99 is such a steal we recommend contacting a decent lawyer before making your purchase.

Deal 7: 50% off Norton Antivirus

Drunk on eggnog and silently plotting a way to take the last mince pie without anyone noticing, the only antivirus on your mind at Christmas is probably a dose of nasal spray after the first few signs of a tickly winter cold. Still, it's a worrying fact that nearly a quarter of computers lack anti-virus protection. So if you're one of the 25 per cent, we've taken the liberty of coming up with your New Year's resolution: sort yourself out some security.

Norton Internet security is an excellent solution. Widely recognised as one of the best antivirus options out there, they're offering a 50 per cent discount on their services, slashing the price from £49.99 to £24.99. For that you get five patented layers of Norton protection which quickly and efficiently eliminate threats, including viruses, spyware, phishing attacks and identity theft. Sure, you can't wrap up a piece of software in a big Christmas bow, but with a yearlong subscription, this is the gift that keeps on giving.

Deal 8: 33% off Sony Smart TV

Are the Christmas ads not looking their brightest this year? If the red and gold sequins of the Strictly Come Dancing final are being upstaged by the dust collection on the top of your TV set, it might be time for you to consider taking the momentous step of buying a new one.

Luckily, Amazon is selling the Sony KDL42W653 HD LED Smart TV for £499. Normally retailing for £749, this works out as a 33 per cent saving of £250. If your fingers are seriously itching for some penny pinching, at the time of publication there are even five used screens available from £304, which would save you over a whopping 50 per cent.

Whatever you decide, the 42in TV comes with built in Freeview and X-Reality PRO technology that sharpens the 1080p screen to a crystal clear focus.

Deal 9: Half price Monster Diesel VEKTR Earphones

Designed by Diesel, these headphones are what happen when a legendary Italian fashion house stands under the mistletoe with an audio technology manufacturer. A few months later, a set of in-ear headphones pops out that blends stylish design with high-quality sound.

Monster claim that their self-developed titanium-coated driver technology delivers first-class sound that remains distortion free regardless of how much you crank up the volume. The result, they boast, is an "assault on your senses" that sits in line with "Diesel's advanced theories of better sound for the brave." Clearly if the dulcet tones of Mozart's Symphony #40 in G minor send you quivering, these headphones may not be for you.

The unusual in-ear buds are available on Zavvi.com for £49.99, saving you a comfortable £50. With free delivery thrown in on top and an advanced acoustic seal to stop noise escaping, you have nothing to lose from ordering. Apart from your hearing.

Deal 10: Free PS4 with a 24-month phone contract

The rate at which PS4s have been flying off the shelves means that in most cases, the only way you'll get your hands on one is if you fly to Japan and build one yourself. Buymobiles.net, however, is offering a "Free" Sony PS4 with a range of brand new mobile phone contracts. Choose a handset from their range of premium smartphones and the coveted console will be shipped to you in early 2014 at no extra cost.

Smartphones included in the deal include the Samsung Galaxy S3, the Nokia Lumia 820, the BlackBerry Z10 in white and the Sony Xperia SP. Most of the monthly contract deals sit around the £40 per month mark, with the majority lasting 24 months in total.

It depends on the deal, but in general this doesn't save you any more money than if you were to buy the handset, Sim card and PS4 outright (so "free" is a bit of an exaggeration). It's important to note, however, that the real advantage of the purchase lies in the fact that if you don't have £500 petty cash lying around now for the next-gen machine and a brand new phone contract to boot, you are essentially paying for them in digestible, bite-sized instalments over a two year period. Yum.

Deal 11: £200 off Lenovo touchscreen all-in-one PC

Okay, so knocking £200 off this 27in monster of a PC still leaves the price at an equally gargantuan £1,099, but the Lenovo A720 is worth its fist-bitingly expensive valuation. Packing an Intel Core i5 processor, it combines both beauty and brawn with a sleek design and powerful graphics capabilities.

Gone too are the days of trying to fit your mouse mat around the maze of coffee cups cluttering your desk. The Lenovo A720 is touchscreen meaning that you can take full advantage of Windows 8's tactile design. If you do find yourself longing for a mouse to rest your weary hand against, however, you can always bring it back alongside a keyboard for a more traditional computing experience.

Not only that, but a mammoth 1TB hard drive provides cathedral-sized storage alongside a hefty 8GB of RAM. All in all, it's an all-in-one powerhouse that for just over £1,000 is a worthy investment.

Deal 12: Samsung Galaxy Tab 3

We tried to find a decent deal on 12 drummers drumming to round up our bargain bonanza, we really tried. Instead though, you'll have to make do with the next best thing: an 8GB Samsung Galaxy Tab for under £100.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 has a 1.2 GHz dual-core processor and two cameras for the front and back. Coming with Android Jelly Bean 4.1.2 and with 50GB worth of free Dropbox storage thrown in on the side for two years, it'll fit nicely into your weekly shopping basket between the milk and the eggs.